Free Talk– Preston Park Museum

Thursday 22 September 7 – 8pm

Spence and the Journey of the  5th Durham Light Infantry Presented by Christopher Young,  Collections Assistant, Preston Park Museum

Discover more about Colonel Spence, his family life, interests and career. The talk will also cover the journey of the 5th Battalion Durham Light Infantry, their battles, life at rest and profiles on the brave men, most of whom originated from Stockton and surrounding areas.

Advanced booking required for all talks. Reserve your place by telephoning  01642 527375.

OPENING TIMES AND ADMISSIONS
Tuesday to Sunday 10am – 4pm (last admission 3.30pm) Closed Mondays except bank holidays and during school holidays Adult: £2.50 Concession/child: £1.50 Family ticket (2 adults +4 concessions): £5 All tickets are valid for one year from date of issue.
PRESTON PARK MUSEUM & GROUNDS YARM ROAD, STOCKTON-ON-TEES TS18

DLI Christmas Card

The 2016 Christmas Card is on sale at the Rifles Office

It commemorates the 100 Anniversary of the battle of the Somme. The front shows the Thiepval Memorial, the rear some information about the battle of the Somme. The inside is suitably Christmassy. The front and Back of the card can be seen below. The order form is below:

 

Rear of the card text

THE BATTLE OF THE SOMME

Thiepval Memorial has inscribed on its arches the names of more than 72000 soldiers who fought at the Battle of the Somme and who have no known grave. It was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, and built between 1928 and 1932. It is the largest Commonwealth Memorial to the Missing in the world.

The Battle of the Somme began with the huge explosion on Hawthorn Ridge at 7.28am on 1st July 1916. This explosion resulted in a huge crater which exists to this day known as the Lochnagar Crater.

On hearing the explosion, officers’ whistles were sounded and the British troops emerged from their trenches to begin the crossing of no-man’s land towards the German trenches, which had been subjected to a British artillery bombardment for 5 days. The British troops had been told the German barbed wire had been cut and their trenches destroyed so they would be able to advance to the German front line unopposed.

This was not to be. The German wire in most places was intact and the German trenches many feet deep had not been much damaged. The Germans emerged from their trenches, and engaged the British troops with carefully sited machine guns. The British infantry advanced into a wall of machine gun fire and sustained enormous casualties. Approximately 60,000 British soldiers were killed on that day and what ground was captured was in most cases given up within days.

It was the blackest day the British Army ever faced. Two Durham Light Infantry Battalions, the 15th and the 18th ‘Pals’ were deployed on that day. The 18th suffered 58% casualties.

Other DLI battalions that fought on the Somme in the following days were the 2nd, 6th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th and 19th. The Battle of the Somme continued until 18th November when it ground to a halt.

Price List

The Durham Light Infantry Association

Monthly Bulletin August 2016

52. DLI REUNION 2016

1. In the July Monthly Bulletin the dates of the DLI Reunion were given as 11-13 September. The dates are in fact 9-11 September; as follows: Fri 9 Sept: W02 & Sgt Mess Dinner, Sat 10 Sept: Rifles Officers Northern Dinner, Sun 11 Sept: DLI Reunion. Apologies for any confusion this may have caused.
   
2. The DLI Association Parade forms up at 1145 hrs on 11 September in the Cathedral Close. Members should remember that the Association are not parading in Branches, but are forming 2 Marching Contingents.
   
3. Non Marching Contingent It is hoped that as many members as possible who are not up to taking part in the march-past will parade with the non-marching contingent. In this way they will still be a part of the parade which will be inspected by HM’s Lord Lieutenant for County Durham Mrs Sue Snowdon and other senior officers, and boost parade numbers generally.
   
4. Cathedral Service It is hoped as many members as possible will attend the cathedral service which takes place immediately after the parade, and which is a core part of the DLI Reunion and during which the DLI Roll of Honour will be read.
   
5. The Re Association will be providing free shuttle minibuses on Reunion Day for the convenience of Association members and families to run from the Sands Car Park to the Cathedral Close from 1030 -1130 hrs, and from the cathedral (after the service) to the College of Hild & Bede.
   
6. The Band & Bugles of the Durham Army Cadet Force will play at the Reunion Parade in the Cathedral Close as well as at the concert which takes place in the Caedmon Hall at the College of St Hild & St Bede in the afternoon.
   
7. A bar will be provided in the Caedmon Room. The Association has been assured that this bar will be properly manned during the afternoon.
   
8. Those who wish to will be able purchase tickets from the Rifles Office for the lunch in the college dining room. These must be pre-ordered.
   
9. The DLI Association/DLI Friends shop will be open as usual during the course of the afternoon.

.

52. THE LAHORE TRADES CUP

16.53.01 Sunday 31^st July saw the county cricket clubs of Durham and Yorkshire compete for the Lahore Trades Cup at the Emirates Riverside Ground at Chester-le-Street. The Lahore Cup was originally a Football Cup which was won in perpetuity by the DLI in British India and is now part of the DLI Silver Collection. The Cup was offered for competition between the two clubs but it is some years since it was last competed for. This match was of 50 overs in the Royal London One-Day Cup competition. The match was keenly fought by the two teams and was narrowly won by 15 runs by Durham It is proposed the competition for the Lahore Trades Cup should continue in future years. The match was played in the presence HM Lord Lieutenant of the County of Durham, the Trustees of the DLI and the KOYLI as well as representatives of Durham County Council, the DLI Association and DLI Friends. Fanfares were by Buglers of D Rifles Coy 5 Bn RRF.

52. DLI ASSOCIATION/DLI FRIENDS - PRESIDENT’S/CHAIRMEN’S MEETING

1. At a recent DLI Executive Meeting there was a proposal from the Secretary to invite the Presidents/Chairmen of all the Branches to a meeting to be held at the Sevenhills facility to introduce them to the facility and to discuss ways of involving branch members in outreach work with the DLI Friends.
   
2. Presidents/Chairmen have received a letter inviting them to this meeting which will be held at 1000 hrs on Tuesday 18 October at Sevenhills.

52. DLI ASSOCIATION WW1 SOLDIER SEARCH REQUEST PROJECT
    1. Are you looking for a WW1 soldier ancestor? The DLI Association are now in a position to offer a WW1 soldier Search Request available to DLI Association members and the general public to discover an ancestor’s military history. There is a charge for this work, but all profits made from this project come to the DLI Association. Details of this scheme can be found in Annex A to this Bulletin.

52. DLI CHRISTMAS CARD

1. he 2016 Christmas Card is on sale at the Rifles Office
   
2. It commemorates the 100 Anniversary of the battle of the Somme. The front shows the Thiepval Memorial, the rear some information about the battle of the Somme. The inside is suitably Christmassy. The front and Back of the card can be seen below. The order form is below:

The Thiepval Memorial
100^th Anniversary of the Battle of the Somme
THE BATTLE OF THE SOMME
Thiepval Memorial has inscribed on its arches the names of more than 72000 soldiers who fought at the Battle of the Somme and who have no known grave. It was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, and built between 1928 and 1932. It is the largest Commonwealth Memorial to the Missing in the world.
The Battle of the Somme began with the huge explosion on Hawthorn Ridge at 7.28am on 1st July 1916. This explosion resulted in a huge crater which exists to this day known as the Lochnagar Crater.
On hearing the explosion, officers’ whistles were sounded and the British troops emerged from their trenches to begin the crossing of no-man’s land towards the German trenches, which had been subjected to a British artillery bombardment for 5 days. The British troops had been told the German barbed wire had been cut and their trenches destroyed so they would be able to advance to the German front line unopposed.
This was not to be. The German wire in most places was intact and the German trenches many feet deep had not been much damaged. The Germans emerged from their trenches, and engaged the British troops with carefully sited machine guns. The British infantry advanced into a wall of machine gun fire and sustained enormous casualties. Approximately 60,000 British soldiers were killed on that day and what ground was captured was in most cases given up within days.
It was the blackest day the British Army ever faced. Two Durham Light Infantry Battalions, the 15th and the 18th ‘Pals’ were deployed on that day. The 18th suffered 58% casualties.
Other DLI battalions that fought on the Somme in the following days were the 2nd, 6th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th and 19th. The Battle of the Somme continued until 18th November when it ground to a halt.
Front Back

THE DURHAM LIGHT INFANTRY
ASSOCIATION CHRISTMAS CARD 2016
PRICE P&P TOTAL
10 Cards @ 50p each £ 5.00 £1.00 £ 6.00
20 Cards @ 50p each £10.00 £1.50 £11.50
30 Cards @ 50p each £15.00 £2.00 £17.00
Cards can be collected free of charge from the Rifles Office.
Each card is supplied with an envelope.
Order Form
When completed lease send is order form to The Secretary. DLI Association, The Rifles Office, Elvet Waterside, Durham DH1 3BW.
Name ………………………………………………………….
Address ……………………………………………………….
Post Code ………………………… Tel No: ……………
Number of Cards Required ………….
I enclose a cheque (payable to the DLI Association) for …………….
(crossed account of payee only)
Signature …………………………… Date ……………………

52. ‘SPORTING FORCE’ (SUPPORTING HELP FOR HEROES) OFFER A FREE VETERANS CRICKET MATCH AT THE EMIRATES RIVERSIDE STADIUM - 23 AUG 2016 - DURHAM V WARWICKSHIRE

1. Free cricket and match for Veterans is on offer at the Emirates Riverside Stadium, Chester-le-Street.
   
2. Arrive at 1000 hrs and meet the team and the other organisations representatives. We then invite all present to join us for lunch. (Lunch is free but a small donation will be gratefully received into our collection bucket towards costs). During the day the veterans can chat again informally to our team and also to members of BLESMA, WWV and H4H.  This is a social event that we hope will be a sign posting event for any veteran needing help to smooth the transition into civilian life or ones who have left the services but not managed to achieve the career that they would of liked to. We offer employability courses, personal development programmes, work placements all centred around sports.  Please see our website for more details or our Facebook for up to date news.
   
3. If you would like to attend the match and be part of a great free day please apply via our website at www.sportingforce.org/apply or email jacqui.nicholson(at)sportingforce.org

52. DEATHS REPORTED

16.58.01 The following deaths have been reported to the Rifles Office since the publication of last month’s bulletin.
Geoff Heslop (D Coy 7LI)  died peacefully in his sleep on Saturday 30 July aged 70
David Buckingham, died Friday 29 July 2016. Served A Coy 7LI
George Marshman, died Tuesday 2 August 2016
May They Rest in Peace

Elvet Waterside,
Durham,
DH1 3BW
10 August 2016